Road scraper



H. E. PRICE ROAD SCRAPER Jan. 12, 1932.

Filed Sept. 5, 1929 I INVENTOR #l'zyene frzce ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 12 1932 PATENT OFFICE HARVEY EUGENE PRICE, OF CADILLAC, MICHIGAN ROAD SORAPER I Application filed September 3, 1929. Serial No. 890,099. 7

The invention relates to road scrapers of that type comprising a transversely extending beam which is adjustable to different angles on the main frame of the machine and which carries a scraper connected thereto through the medium of a rock shaft. It is. the object of the present invention to provide a simple construction of means for operating the scraper to raise or lower it and to hold it into work under suitable pressure, but'yieldably so as to permit the riding over obstacles too rigid to be removed. It is a further object to absorb vibrations and shocks so as to relieve the machine from objectionable. stresses. With these objects in view the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter set forth.

ers have been constructed in which the scraper is mounted upon the frameof a-motor driven truck hroug'h the medium of a transversel extendin beam adjustably clamped in'di erent angu ar positions. My improvement embodies these general features ofconstruction and as shown A are the sills of a motor truck of any suitable construction; B are posts clamped to these sills and depending therefrom and C are guide segments which are verticall adjustablyclamped upon the posts B an which form a support for the transversely extending beam D. These segments are arcs of a circle having its 4 center in the center of the truck and therefore the beam may be adjusted to any angle to which it is desired to arrange the scraper blade. The beam D is secured-to the segment C by clamps E as shown.

The beam D is preferably formed of an inverted channel bar havin its web portion clamped to the segments and its flanges depending. To this channel bar are attached depending bracket members F which form journal bearings for a rock shaft G. The

shaft G is preferably formed in two sections G and Gr which are centrally connected to each other by a stepped joint H havin suflicient lost motion to permit of limite independentrotation of the shaft sections." The shaft sections G" G are provided with bracket arms I for attaching the same to the scraper blade J. These bracket arms are preferably formed of a series of leaves I to impart a slight degree of resilient flexibility thereto which permits one portion of the blade to move differentially from other portions. This is further permitted by the lost motion in the joint H so that it is possible for one end of the scraper to asume a-somewhat different angle from the opposite end thereof, this being permitted .by the flexibility of the blade.

For raising and lowering the blade and for holding it to its work I have provided pneumatic operating devices which are arranged adjacent to opposite ends of the beam D and. are connected to the rock shaft secsist of a cylinder K and piston L which are arranged intermediate a'bracket M-extending upward from the beam D'and a rock arm N on the rock shaft G. I As shown in Figure 3, the cylinder K is pivotally attached at its upper end to the bracket M while the lowerend of the rod of the piston Iris pivotally connected to the rock arm N. ffiBFigure 4 the reverse arrangement is shown where the piston rod is pivotally attached to the bracket and the cylinder is pivotally attached to the rock arm. With both constructions whenever there is a relative movement of the piston and cylinder to increase the length of the link connection this will rock the shaft G so as to lower the scraper blade and hold it in work. On the other hand, when there is a relative movement of the piston and cylinder which contracts or shortens the length,

the rock shaft will be rotated in the opposite direction to lift the scraper blade out of working position.

The fluid for operating the piston and cylinder is preferably compressed air which may be supplied by'any suitable pump such as O mounted in anyconvenient locationon the truck and operated by the truck motor or by any suitable means. The air compressed by this pump is preferably stored in tanks P which may be conveniently mounted above the se ents C on opposite sides of the frame bars The air is conducted to these tanks through a conduit Q leadin from the pump as shown dia ammatical y in Figure 1. Connected to t e tanks or to the conduit Q is a conduit B. leading to the control valve S. This valve is adapted to alternatively connect the conduit It with branch conduits R and R, the former leadin to the outer ends of the cylinders and the atter to the inner ends thereof. Theseconduits include flexible hose connections '1, T, T which lead from the portion of the conduit mounted on the truck frame to the center of the beam D from which oint the several conduits extend lon 'tu inally in the channel of the beam to t e cylinders at opposite ends thereof. For controllin pressure which is transmitted to the cylin ers I preferably arrange a control 'valve U in the conduit R leading to the outer end of the cylinders which will variably restrict the flow of air and therefore regulate the pressure. I also preferably arrange two other control valves U and U in the branches R and R of the conduit R which connect respectively to the hose con nections T and T and which lead to the c linders on opposite ends ofthe beam. Thus am enabled to regulate either simultaneously the pressure on both cylinders or independently the pressureon the cylinders at op site ends.

eration when it is desired to'transport the scraper without performing any work, the valve S is adjusted into position where air is admitted from the conduit R to the conduit R leading to the inner ends of the cylinders,-

thereby contracting the combined length of cylinder and piston, rocking the arms N upward and withdrawing the scraper blade from contact with the road. To throw the blade into work the valve S is turnedfto a sition where the conduit R is connected with the conduit R which through the branch ith the construction as described, in op- Leeaeeo ders the valve U is adjusted to restrict the conduit R producing that effect. On the other hand, if it is desired to have a higher pressure in one of the cylinders than in the other, this may be regulated by relatively adjusting the valves U and U After the blade is adjusted to its working position it G and Gr which is suiiicient for any relative adjustment desired.

My construction has various advantages, one of which is that it requires no .operating fluid other than air which is always available and this is not altered in character by temperature conditions and is unlimited in supply. A further advantage is that the air cushion formsthe best possible spring or resilient backing for the ,blade so that the latter will automatically adjust itself to road conditions. I

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a road scraper, the combination with a-vehicle frame, of a beam mounted on said frame to extend transversely thereof and to be adjustable to different angular positions,

der, a piston, a bracket on said beam connected to the one and a rock arm on the rock shaft section connected to the other, and means on the vehicle frame for controlling said motors.

2. In a road scra er, the combination with a vehicle frame, 0 a beam mounted on said frame to extend transversely thereof and to be adjustable to different angular positions, a'rock shaft journaled in bearings upon said beam and formed in a plurality of independently rockable aligned sections, a flexible scraper blade, arms connecting said scraper blade with the respective sections of said rock shaft, a plurality of pneumatic motors, one for each section of said rock shaft adapted to independently resilientlyw and yieldably rock the same, and means on the vehicle frame for controlling said motor.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

- H. EUGENE PIECE. 

